Michigan

A frustrating loss, but a season-killer? Hardly.

I'm right there with you -- Saturday night's hoops loss to Ohio State was tough to swallow. One, because losing to that bunch from down south is getting obnoxious; two, because a home win in front of a sellout crowd would have been a big one.

Michigan put itself in a tight spot this week. The Wolverines entered this two-game stretch at 3-1 in the Big Ten with two winnable games waiting, and now they sit 3-3 with the hardest part of the schedule yet to come.

Yes, this loss hurt the team's NCAA Tournament chances. Of course, there is still a loooong way to go in this season and things are not as dire as they may have seemed in the wake of Saturday's letdown.

Michigan's got 13 wins overall and three in the conference. The general belief is that, given U-M's two huge wins over Duke and UCLA, plus a February trip to November, the nonconference schedule is tough enough -- meaning Michigan's RPI will be high enough -- that a 9-9 conference slate and 19 wins heading into the Big Ten Tournament would put the team in pretty decent shape.

Add in one win at the BTT (for 20 overall) and it would be very hard to keep the Wolverines out of the dance.

The hard part, though, is finding six more regular season wins.

Here's the thing: With this team, with the way that they play, there isn't a game that they are an absolute lock to win. On the flip side, there isn't a game on the schedule (save for maybe that UConn trip) that isn't one Michigan could steal if their strategy is clicking that night.

Michigan State at home, Wisconsin on the road, Purdue a couple of times -- don't be surprised in the least if the Wolverines swipe one or two from an underdog role.

Even if they lose the few that you would expect them to lose, there are still enough opportunities for Michigan to get to nine or 10 Big Ten wins. What Saturday's game did do is make Tuesday's trip to Penn State a crucial one.

Win there, and Michigan comes home for a Saturday matchup with Northwestern looking a very good bet to move to 5-3. Lose, and the wheels come closer to falling off.

There are causes for concern, obviously. Ohio State (and Illinois in one of the games) exposed Michigan's horrible lack of an inside presence. DeShawn Sims looks like he needs a week off. The 3-point attack, as you might expect, goes in and out.

We've seen what this team can do when it's clicking, however. We've also seen how miserable things can be when it's not.

So, yes, there's a definite chance that Michigan could sit out the NCAA Tournament again. Saturday's loss does not even come close to guaranteeing that. The Wolverines have plenty of time to turn this season one way or the other -- so let's not fly off the handle over one disappointing loss.